Jose Ramos signs on to City Tavern replacement Sabrosa

Today’s Inside Scoop print column — in the newspaper — explores a triad of Mexican restaurants headed to the city this fall. Each of them will attempt to bring fresh viewpoints to Mexican cuisine in San Francisco, completing a strong year that has already seen a rush of that genre. La Urbana (background here; opening menu here) will go modern when it opens the first week of September, while Adriano Paganini will try to redefine the quick service taqueria with his downtown spot, Uno Dos Tacos.

Then there’s the new project in the former City Tavern from Andy Wasserman, Hugo Gamboa and Adam Snyder, who have their various hands in several projects around town, including the Brixton up the road.

While the new Marina outpost Cafe Claude gets its finishing touches next door, the ex-City Tavern corner space has been completely gutted. The new regime is completely rebuilding it. They hope to open it later this year as a Mexican restaurant and bar named Sabrosa.

They decided to go in the Mexican direction when they were able to hire Jose Ramos as the restaurant’s executive chef. Ramos, who made his name at Nopalito and has been helping out at the well-received Nido more recently, will create a menu that encompasses a wide variety of regional Mexican fare.

“It’s a food-first concept balanced with a good lively bar,” says Wasserman. “But food will be the primary focus.”